A shell lot of Shots (Oneshot Collection)
by leggo lover 99
Summary: Simple. You guys give me a prompt, I write a one shot on whatever you want. (More or less! :D) Read first chapter for rules, stories start on the second chapter. Latest oneshot: I Promise - a season 1 finale oneshot. The guys are stressed that Splinter told Leo to sacrifice himself for the sake of the mission resulting in a need for comfort!
1. Rules

**Rules:**

Okay guys, here's the general rules: you give me reviews with a prompt and I will write a chapter.

Simple right?!

So your prompts could be:

\- **Questions** about my Alternative Universe (read my story Strands if you're interested) which I can create a one shot for.

\- It could be **an idea** based on the 2K12 (I am right up to date with that series so any episode at all!), 2K14 or 2K16 universe (or the 2K3 SAINW episode- that's the only episode I know well enough from that series to write about.)

\- Your prompt could even be **a theme** like "dark" or "light" or "love" or, a personal favourite of mine, "death."

\- Or just you want to see a certain character in **a certain situation** like "as Leo wakes up from a major injury the foot invades the lair" (Yes, TheMaskedTimeLord, that is directed at you! ;P )

So in short- you can choose anything. I will do my best to do as many as possible.

Hope to hear lots of great ideas.

LL99 Out.


	2. Its NOT Alright

**Prompt** **: When the turtle's return home, Leo is still traumatised by everything Jei did.**

 **TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT**

 **To get started here is a quick one shot based on the recent TMNT 2012** **samurai arc,** **but when the turtles return home.** **So MAJOR warning for spoilers** **if you haven't seen it. If you have, prepare yourselves for a bit of fluff.**

 **TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT**

Turning away from Usagi was an unbelievably hard thing to do, Leonardo found himself realising as he entered the portal. Despite his arrogance getting in the way of their ability to work together at the start, Leonardo had found a true friend in the ronin who had shown him how to become an even better leader. It would be a shame if they did not meet again.

As he exited the portal, he almost collided straight into the back of Mikey. Leo was about to ask what the holdup was, but soon realised what caused the sudden stop of his brothers – April and Casey were on the opposite side of the lair.

The two teens had stopped, wide mouthed, as they took in the brothers – and probably their samurai armour – with clear relief and surprise written upon their faces. It was Raph who broke the awkward pause first.

"What the shell you staring at?" The effect of speaking broke the stillness of the moment, and the two teens rushed over to the brothers. Leo looked over his shoulder and saw the portal close, making his heart sink. There was no going back.

"Where have you been?" April cried, hugging Donnie and Mikey at the same time, "It's been days! We'd thought you'd been captured!"

"Well that much is true-" Raph smirked as Casey threw an arm around the hot head's shoulders. April looked at him for an explanation. "Some crazy wolf man took us to another dimension. We kicked his butt." Leo couldn't help but roll his eyes. When he put it like that, it almost sounded pleasant. Not like they'd all been mind controlled, forced to nearly kill their friend twice and watch their brothers die in a crazy nightmare.

As Donnie began to elaborate on the science behind the dimension with Mikey adding sound effects and comments about 'Pugtaro' Leo inched away from the group and headed over to his room, wanting solitude and time to think.

Silently, he closed the door and sat down upon his futon, not even bothering to take off the armour or swords. For a moment he let his mind drift, and he found himself seeing the images he would never be able to erase from his memory.

 _"I've got this, dudes!" Mikey cried as he lunged towards Jei, his numchucks spinning wildly. Jei forced the youngest turtle back and as Mikey paused for a single moment to catch his breath, there was a horrible_ SHING _and a grunt. A spear was impaled straight into Mikey's front. He tottered for a moment then fell, his body already lifeless as he rolled down the Cliffside. Eyes empty. Unseeing._

 _Dead._

Leo gasped, and frantically shook his head, determined to rid the image from his mind. It wasn't real. It didn't actually happen.

But all the same, he felt the tears wetting his cheeks.

A knock at his door made him jump.

"Dude- you okay in there?" Mikey called. The real Mikey, the one who wasn't dead. Leo took a shaky breath and was about to say he was fine when the door burst open to reveal all his brothers and the two humans. "Why are you-" But Mikey cut himself off. Leo tried to turn his face away, to hide the tears, but everyone saw.

"Guys…" Donnie muttered to Casey and April as Mikey rushed to Leo's side while Raph took a seat next to his elder brother, "Could you…"

"It's fine. We'll be in the kitchen." April finished for him. In a moment, Donnie had also come to sit next to his brother and Leo could hear their silent thoughts, feel them judging. But he could also hear their breathing. They were all alive. Jei hadn't really killed them.

"Leo-" Donnie began, but Leo saw Raph shake his head and Leo felt a swell in his heart. Raph understood. He always did. Silence was sometimes better.

The eldest attempted to draw in a breath, to steady his breathing, but before he could help it, he felt himself trembling. In an instant three pairs of arms had encircled him, and he gladly buried his face in Raph's plastron and sobbed.

Leo had no idea how long his brothers just sat there as he cried, but once he had managed to calm down, he sheepishly muttered,

"Sorry… I just…"

"You know it wasn't real, right?" Mikey rested his head against Leo's arm. "We're fine. Jei didn't actually hurt us." Leo couldn't help but marvel at his little brother's ability to know exactly what to say. He found the words had escaped him, so only nodded.

"Doesn't make it better, though." Raph grunted. "Seeing that freak stab our little brother…" he broke off. Mikey made a small sound of surprise.

"Raphie really does care!" He teased, earning a gentle slap from the second eldest.

"Besides, Leo" Donnie joined in, "Kintaro got us out of Jei's control. Everything turned out fine. We're home, we're alive. What more can you ask for?"

Leo raised his head slightly, finally finding his voice.

"But I nearly killed Usagi." He saw his brothers share a look, but now he'd spoken, Leo felt it better to get it out, "I second guessed his orders, didn't mention the ninjas following us and then – even though it was a dream – I still couldn't defeat Jei. I couldn't protect you guys." He sighed and lowered his head. He knew Sensei would have been disappointed in the way he had acted, as he was deeply ashamed of himself. He couldn't fight off Jei's control and that nearly resulted in the spill of innocent blood.

"Dude, you have issues." Leo spun round to meet Mikey's gaze, shocked. "I mean, come on, brah -" Mikey held up his hands and began ticking off his points on his fingers, "You _almost_ killed Usagi, but didn't. We second guess you, so it's only natural to second guess another dude. You thought you better leave it in case there wasn't an actual threat and we began seeing things that weren't there, and the dream didn't actually happen. We were fine." Leo blinked. Mikey turned to the other two turtles. "Come on dudes, back me up!"

Raph wrapped an arm around Leo's shell and held him close.

"You're so annoying, bro. You know that, right? Just count the victory for once – forget the 'what if' rubbish. Like the numbskull said- we're fine. You need to stop beating yourself up."

"But I can't stop seeing what Jei did to you guys." Leo confided, his voice small. "I hear it, see it. Everything. It's just there…"

Donnie put a hand on his brother's shoulder, and Leo hated how weak he sounded. But if he didn't say now- they were bound to find out later on and then he would have the whole "why didn't you tell us" speech.

"I'll get you some stuff to let you sleep tonight," the genius promised, "and we'll stay here with you. It was pretty terrifying-" Leo snorted at the understatement, "Okay," Donnie corrected, "highly traumatic. But my point is, it won't fade overnight. Give yourself time to realise it doesn't exist outside your head. That it didn't happen."

Leo grudgingly nodded, and Donnie moved out of the room, towards his lab to find the medication he spoke of. Mikey gab Leo one more hug then followed suit, saying something about grabbing some more pillows or something. Once they had gone, Raph leaned closer to Leo.

"It's alright to cry bro," he muttered, reading Leo's exact thoughts in his usual annoying way, "seeing Jei kill our bros is _not_ alright. But he's gone now." He began to help Leo remove his armour, and indicated for him to lay down, "We won't be going anywhere tonight. We'll fill April and Casey in on everything tomorrow, but for tonight, we're staying with you. You'll feel better in the morning, believe me." The eldest couldn't help but give a small smile. True, he may have left one good friend behind, but he needed to remember that he had three brothers here who would never let him suffer.

"Thanks Raph." He squeezed his brother's arm. His gaze told him no more words were needed.

Donnie returned with a glass and some pills which Leo quickly swallowed, and almost immediately began to feel drowsy. Mikey entered just as Leo felt his eyelids begin to droop, and threw down a large pile of pillows which the middle brothers began to arrange around the eldest who lay down on his futon, facing the wall.

"See ya in the morning, fearless." Raph rubbed small circles on the back of Leo's shell and the eldest felt sleep grip him tighter.

They were right. There was nothing to hurt them now. He had his brothers and all was good. As he slipped off into oblivion he finally felt safe from the evil mind control of the dark magic wielding wolf. They weren't his puppets anymore.

When he awoke almost ten hours later, he found his brothers still sleeping by his side, Mikey curled up by his side, Donnie by his legs and Raph by his head, every single face at peace.

Leo was home. The only monsters now were those in his head, and even those could not hide the truth before his eyes, that even though hell, his family would never desert him and they would continue to endure just as they always had. No nightmare – no matter how traumatic – would change that. Ever.

 **So what are your thoughts? Leave a review, and we'll see what you guys come up with for my next oneshot!**

 **LL99 Out! :)**


	3. Game Night

**Fluttershy127** **: Game night in the lair. Mikey just thinks it's fun. Donnie thinks to long before he makes a move. And Leo and Raph takes it to seriously. And finally there's April who has no idea what she has gotten her self into.**

 **TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT**

 **I haven't written much "nice" stuff (as in no killing and pain) but I will do my best!**

 **I've set this near the** **start of season 1** **so there's no Casey and the amazing Splinter is still alive (** ** _CURSE YOU PRODUCERS FOR MESSING WITH OUR HEARTS!...Okay, I loved that episode too much to complain!_** **) Anyways: about the story, I'm not much for games, so I chose the Wii as: 1, there are plenty of games to choose from, and 2, a DS's buttons are too small for the adorably large hands of the guys! ;P**

 **Here we go:**

At first, April thought it would be a great idea to bring her Nintendo Wii down to the sewers for Donnie to hook up to their TV so she could challenge the guys to a games night, however things started going badly from the word go. She dropped one numchuck as she entered the sewers, creating a horrible cracking noise which she hoped wasn't too serious, then when picking that up, her copy of _Just Dance 2_ slipped out of her bag, into the sewage running past her and began to float away. True, she did manage to catch it and fish it out with the top of the Wii remote tennis racket, but now it stank.

When she finally got to the lair, she was welcomed with cheers (and a "What's with the smell?" from Raph) but the excitement soon faded when she realised something.

"Guys. Can you even plug anything into that TV?"

Mikey grinned,

"Of course you can, April, how'd you think we watch tapes?!" Behind him Donnie had darted into the lab before re-emerging with various tools, sockets and wires. When Mikey saw this, he hugged the telly protectively. "Dude, what are you doing with that?" By this stage, Raph and Leo had appeared from the dojo and were watching the scene with small smirks of their faces. Donnie attempting to fix a device his brothers didn't want touched in fear of said device exploding was apparently common.

"Mikey," Leo eventually decided to intervene as the two younger turtles began wrestling with a soldering iron – something Mikey probably didn't understand the danger in messing around with, "why don't you choose the first game while Donnie, uh…" He faltered for a minute and the genius gestured for him to continue from behind Mikey.

"Sets it up." Raph finished for his brother, leaving Leo looking relieved at not having to come up with an excuse.

April was amazed at how easily Mikey could be distracted as he dived towards her bag, pulling the games out, offering a running commentary as he went.

"We have to go one on one – there's only two remotes –" he offered causing April to blush. She knew many had four to make for a larger group to enjoy the game at once, but growing up with just her dad, there was little point in buying more – especially since money could be tight at times. Thankfully though, this didn't seem to matter much as Mikey barely paused for breath, "So I think I should be games master – choosing who is going to get to play who! OH!" He let out an excited squeal, very un-turtle like in April's opinion, "I wanna do _Just Dance 2_! Good songs here! The Mikester states that," the youngest raised his voice dramatically, "Leo will take Raph!" April giggled at the thought of the two eldest dancing. It was actually quite an entertaining image, "April will take Donnie! Oh- what about Sensei?"

"What about me?" Everyone jumped, even Donnie, soldering iron still in hand, but now warm. He cursed and quickly put his slightly burnt finger in his mouth to cool it down. Splinter gave him an apologetic look then looked to April. "Ah, is this the game night you promise, April?" She nodded, hiding her excitement of Splinter playing along as well. The rat looked back to Mikey, gesturing him to continue matching people up.

"And I will take on Sensei!" The ninja master raised an eyebrow, "We're gonna do _Just Dance_!" He cheered, just as Donnie yelled,

"Finished!" Having no experience in electronics, April couldn't tell what he'd done to the ancient TV, but all she knew was that the Wii homepage was up with the sensor sitting on top of the telly.

"Leo, Raph!" She held up the two remotes and tossed them over. They rolled their eyes, but grudgingly checked out the devices, checking which way they wanted to grip them. "Oh, put the straps on, please!" April remembered how she had accidently let one go and hit a friend in the head once. Plus, getting a new TV to go down here wouldn't be easy.

"April, we are ninjas." Leo muttered with a smile, "I wave swords around and Raph uses Sais. What are the odds of us accidently letting go?" Beside him, Raph laughed and flicked the hand holding the remote towards her as a point, yet ironically, the device flew from his hand and sailed towards Splinter. The rat caught it without even blinking, and April turned to Raph, whose face was now almost as red as his bandana.

"I think the chances are getting better every day." April answered smugly, and earned a high three from Mikey and Donnie. Even Splinter chuckled as the two turtles grudgingly put the straps over their wrists.

"Ok, April!" Mikey pointed to her, "First song!" April told Leo – who was, unsurprisingly, player 1 – to scroll through the songs until she found the one she was looking for. "Stop." She told the leader with an evil grin, "That one."

The eldest turtles shared a look and when their eyes turned to one another there was a guilty look. They knew what was coming.

Leo pressed play and both turtles changed their player names, Leo to "Katana" while Raph went for "No. 1"

"I am so gonna make him have to change that name!" Mikey whispered to April and she grinned.

Then the music started, blasting out _Girlfriend_ by Avril Lavigne making Leo and Raph have to point at one another very aggressively, then, much to everyone's but Raph's amusement, Leo had to jam on an invisible guitar while Raph had to swing his arms in a very feminine manner before going back to pointing at each other and this happened three times before they had to swing their arms around pointing at something invisible then act as if they were digging into the ground. With each new move, the two ninjas became more and more serious, each one trying to outdo the other.

This went on for well over three minutes, the best part – without a doubt – being when Leo had to pretend to throw a strop by stomping on the ground while Raph waved happily in the air. It was by this stage Mikey could no longer contain his laughter and almost dropped his T-phone on which he was recording every moment. The song finished as the two dancers finished their catfight and jumped into crossed arms position.

April started a round of applause, and when Leo and Raph turned around, it was good to see them smiling about what they had to do rather than annoyed, although both were a bit red and clearly eager to see who was the best.

"The scores are in! Remember, winner chooses the next song!" Mikey concluded, demanding both remained facing April rather than seeing their final scores, "Leo – wow, good one bro – 7350!" Leo bowed and there was another round of applause, "Raph – drum roll please," the turtles, human and rat all joined in to create the dramatic noise, "7690!" Leo laughed good naturedly despite the small look of disappointment in his eye at being beaten, and clapped Raph on the shell.

"Just goes to show there's a diva in all of us!" Leo winked at Raph who turned an even brighter shade of red, and without a word, Raph took the remote and flicked through the songs, but April could see the triumphant grin on his lips.

"Kay, here you guys go." He and Leo swapped remotes and April looked at what Raph had picked, fearing the worst. In all honesty she had expected music from more up his street and with a hard and boring dance, something like _Cosmic Girl_ , _Satisfaction_ or even _Monster Mash_ but he had chosen another duet, _Hot stuff_. Donnie had gone red and Raph had an evil smirk upon his face. Ah, so it was a way to embarrass his brother. Well, April thought smugly, she wasn't going to let that happen. April let Donnie be player 1, who changed his name to "Science" while April – as player 2, became "shigatsu."

Donnie frowned for a second, then something clicked and he understood while Splinter nodded at her choice and Leo smiled.

"Nice." He whispered. Both Mikey and Raph's faces said 'I don't get it.' Obviously the Japanese in the family was limited to three members. Leo explained for them. "Months in Japanese are the number of the month, followed by "gatsu" hence April becomes 'shi-gatsu'"

April swelled with pride for being correct. Then the dance started.

April had taken the male role while Donnie was the female, and both of their characters came straight out of the 80s. April soon found herself lost in one of her favourite routines, but when she noticed her score was nearly double Donnie's. Donnie kept lagging behind as he took each move literally and spent too long attempting to get everything correct, so April 'accidently' tripped, getting her several lots of zero points and missing out on a 'gold move' arm spin which Donnie nailed. Soon the points were nearly level. Donnie seemed to grow more confident at this and danced even harder, and from what April could see, he was actually a pretty good dancer now he understood the accurate ways to do the moves.

Once the songs finished, they faced Mikey, allowing the scores to be read out loud. After the overly dramatic drum roll, Mikey announced,

"8670 to Donnie!" earning a cheer and a sarcastic

"Well their dance was easier." From Raph. Ignoring him, Mikey continued,

"And 7980 to April! Donnie gets to choose the last song!" Donnie gave April an apologetic look, but the girl hugged her friend and smiled, pleased he had been able to show Raph was not 'no.1' as previously claimed.

Donnie flicked through the songs, selected _Katti Kalandal_ a Bollywood one which Mikey cheered at and Splinter let out a small smile. The remotes were passed over and the song began. Mikey launched into the routine by balancing on one leg with the awkward hand gestures raised above his head – made even more awkward by only having three fingers and he turned to face Splinter, only to find the rat still sitting.

"The game has not yet started scoring, Michelangelo." He answered simply, then his wrist flicked sideways, indicating that Mikey had missed a move. They were already five steps into the dance. Mikey danced with all his might, hopping up and down, waving his arms wildly, and even copying the little shakes of the waist, yet somehow Mikey was seriously lagging behind Splinter's points who was getting 'perfect' on nearly every move.

Halfway through, Mikey was panting for breath and April stole a look at Splinter and was amazed at wat she saw. The ninja master was still sitting and rather than waste energy on unnecessary arm movements, he was merely flicking his wrist in the way the dancers did which counted as doing the correct move by the sensor. As the song finished, Mikey dropped to the floor panting hard while Splinter turned to April. April grinned.

"Mikey, 5035 points."

A feeble cheer came from the floor.

"Splinter…" April quickly re-read the screen to make sure she had read it correctly. When she spoke, there was awe in her voice "10,540."

A hush fell over the room and Splinter smiled and stood.

"That was quite enjoyable, thank you April. If you need me, I shall be meditating."

The teens all shared a look as Splinter moved towards the dojo.

"Um.. Who feels slightly inadequate as an individual?" Donnie quietly asked.

Everyone raised a hand.

Who would have thought game night would end in such a manner? Maybe it wasn't the greatest idea after all, April thought as the disc ejected out of the Wii machine.

Mikey's voice broke the silence.

"Soo…" he was still slightly out of breath, "Who's up for _Mario Kart_?"

 **First request done. Hope that was Ok for you, if not let me know and I can try to make up for it!**

 **Who will be next?! :) :) :)**


	4. Hollow

TMNTTLK lover I'm always a sucker for one shots on the episode "Requiem". I'd like to see each turtles' POV of when Splinter was thrown from the building (and afterwards if possible).

 **TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT**

 **Hehehe… I'm a sucker for these moments as well! Hope this is good enough for you!**

 **TMNT-TMNT-TMNT-TMNT**

 **Leo P.O.V**

Sensei's face kept flashing back to me. Over and over, a constant loop of what he told me in the dojo, _"and when I pass on, to be like a father as well…"_ He knew. He knew what was going to happen and I didn't do anything. I allowed us to abandon our father failing to notice the diversion until it was too late. I failed to drive to the Wolf Hotel fast enough. I failed to give sensei enough warning to act…

I failed.

I saw Shredder catch himself as he fell and watched him climb up and over the wall to where Sensei was standing. My scream was not loud enough. Donnie and Mikey had rushed to my side, but I barely noticed them. They looked up, and could only watch as Shredder buried his blades in our father's body. I couldn't even protect my brothers from that sight. Now none of us will be able to forget it.

Then the body was tossed over the side, and I was running. I don't remember much, only screaming out Sensei's name, and hoping that I could be fast enough to cushion his fall… But I wasn't. There was a sickening crack and he was still.

"No… No… Please…" I begged, both to any force that could restore his life, and to Sensei himself. _Please don't leave me alone. I cannot take your place…_

He had gone… Taken from us and this time there was no time sceptre to take us back in time and no way Sensei had survived.

Memories ran through my head before I could stop them, how he had stopped mine and Raph's battles, how he had allowed me to be lead, how he taught me one-on-one so I could become a better leader for my brothers, and how he had bestowed the katana on me…

Around me my brothers were sobbing, and as that final memory sprung to mind, I lost what little self-control I had retained and found myself crying openly… He had given us all so much but now he was gone…

After what felt like an eternity, I found a little strength and put my hands under Sensei's already cooling form and began to lift, but the weight of responsibility pressed down, and I struggled to even raise my arms from the ground. Suddenly, Raph had taken a place beside me and with a tear filled look, he nodded at me. He had my back.

Together, we began to raise our father from the ground, when the weight suddenly lessened, and I found Donnie's hands against my own and Mikey's beside his. As one, we stood, holding our teacher high and moved him to the Shellraiser, laying him down at the back and Donnie pulled a sheet from under his chair to cover the body.

I felt the engine start and looked up to see Casey in the driver's seat with April beside him, still crying quietly. Usually I would feel something about another taking my job, but now I felt hollow. Nothing felt real, it all felt like a bad dream which you would wake from feeling numb…

But as Mikey collapsed into louder sobs, his entire body shaking, I snapped out of it. We had _all_ lost our father. I needed to look out for my brothers. Standing, I moved next to my little brother, and put my arms around him, holding him close as he cried. As tears wetted my plastron I reached out for Donnie and Raph, and without a word, both joined the hug until we were all crying against one another next to Splinter.

"We'll take him to the farmhouse…" I managed to get out through the tears. "April," the teen turned around, "Can we bury…"

"Of course." She cut me off before I had to finish speaking. I nodded my thanks.

We would go back to the lair and collect supplies to perform a burial, then our father's spirit could be at peace.

"Why?" Donnie's broken voice muttered, "Why did Shredder do that?" I could see he was struggling to process how one could kill with such dishonour.

"Because Sensei was better than him." I spoke, surprising myself for knowing the answer, "Shredder knew the only way he could win was without honour. That's why."

Raph squeezed my shoulder, telling me that was the best answer I could have given. Finally it was too much and I leant into Raph's side and let my pain out.

If we couldn't rely on one another now, when could we? I thought as three pairs of arms held me tighter.

 **Raph P.O.V**

April helped me to my feet just as Sensei managed to trip Shredder off the building. My legs felt weightless so putting weight on them was kinda hard, but all I cared about was getting near to Splinter and make sure he was alright after being thrown around by that tin can.

My cheer of relief had just escaped my mouth when I heard Leo's scream and we all spun to check he was alright, but then the unimaginable happened. There was a horrific grunt as Sensei was impaled, the blades sticking out of his back dripping blood.

I could only stare.

I'd seen death, been near it, caused it, and thought I witnessed the death of my brothers – but this was something else. There was too much blood. The wound was straight through him. Nothing would survive that.

And then Shredder threw him off the building.

Honestly, I lost it at that point and my vision was red. Red from the blood, red from anger – it made no difference anymore. In that moment everything had turned a shocking shade of the colour. Shredder had to die. I was about to charge forward, but then April's breathing turned weird, and as I noticed her eyes turned white in anger, I took my arm away from her shoulder. I did not want to be near her weird psychic mood after what happened last time with Donnie – but I wanted gonna leave. I needed to see that monster get it.

As the blast took him over the side, the red dropped away and was replaced with a hollow feeling… Even that hadn't been enough. He didn't suffer enough.

Beside me April's arms fell to her sides.

"Let's go…" She whispered, tears streaking her cheeks. She looped an arm around my shoulder and helped me down the stairs, but as we reached the bottom, I heard my brothers crying. The hollow feeling came back stronger than ever. Forgetting about my injuries, I let go of April and rushed over to my family, the image of my father's twisted body meeting my eyes for the first time. For a moment I could only look, but as the crying around me grew more intense, I felt tears form in my own eyes and squeezed my fingers to them to try and hold it together.

My father – the one who had calmed me when I stormed off after a bad fight, the one who told me to go back to my brothers when I wanted to be alone, and who taught me how to protect the ones I loved when I felt weak – was gone.

Unable to help myself, I fell to my knees and joined my brothers in grief. Beside me, Leo had somehow managed to get to his feet and was attempting to lift Sensei, but was clearly struggling. With a quick look to my younger brothers, I rose and placed my hands next to Leo's. I met his gaze and felt a twinge of surprise at his pained eyes. _We're in this together. We're brothers. You can't do this alone_. Leo nodded, and we lifted the body. The moment Mikey and Donnie followed suit, both with tears still falling down their cheeks I felt such an overwhelming sense of sadness I almost fell back down, but we had to do this. For Sensei…

Later the rage would return, I knew that much – but for now I had to try and stay calm. For my brothers. If I'm being honest, that's all that's keeping me up, that, and the sensation of my brothers' hands next to mine. We had to support each other and I knew my job would be to help keep us united rather than breaking us apart with my anger.

Maybe that would be easier than I thought, the hollow feeling inside didn't feel like it would ever heal.

 **Donnie P.O.V**

Leo's chaotic driving and panicked expression was the first indication something would happen. He must have known, why else would he act that way? Why didn't he tell us?

Then he screamed.

Mikey jumped, I ran to Leo, but we all saw it happen and couldn't do anything. The act itself would have caused major internal organ failure, not to mention excessive bleeding, but as Shredder picked father up and threw him off the building – all thoughts of how to save him fell away and my mine became an unusually empty place… There was _nothing_ I could have done. I still ran to where the body was falling, but by that time I knew there was no saving Splinter. The sight on the ground was confirmation enough to my theory – his bones were broken – shattered, even – from the fall and the pool of blood showed that no amount of surgery would save our teacher…

Dutifully I checked for a pulse, but I knew I would never find one.

I could only kneel and watch as Mikey cried, his voice calling heartbreakingly for our _papa_ a term I have not heard for years, yet oddly I couldn't bring myself to comfort him. What could I say? _Oh don't worry little brother, there's nothing I can do as I'm an engineer not a doctor – but if it makes you feel better – no one could do anything as he's already dead_?

Instead I just watched my father's face – the still expression, fixed in a permanent look of shock and acceptance. Then the tears I'd been fighting came over me and I sobbed, not caring who saw. My father had just died on us – and I hadn't even had time to speak with him… When was the last time I swapped words with him? I spend so much time shut away in my lab I didn't find enough time to be with him, I realised with a jolt of sadness. _And now I never will._

Opposite, my brothers began to stand and I placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder before following Raph and Leo. Even though my perception of emotions aren't always the most accurate, I knew my brothers well enough to know that both would take this badly, blaming themselves and wanting to make amends, but I also knew that I would need to remind them that they couldn't do that. Last time Raph stormed off, I nearly got dissected and when Leo ran off with Karai, I got blown up. Their track record for being hotheads usually resulted in me paying for it. I couldn't let them tear apart our family any more.

I placed my hands under Splinter's body and helped raised him up, feeling the tears fall even more down my cheeks. No son should ever have to bear the weight of their father's demise, yet here we were.

As we placed father down in the Shellraiser, I grabbed a sheet I used to cover up the seats when welding or painting the inside of the vehicle and placed it over Splinter, the white instantly beginning to stain red in places where the wounds were most severe.

Next to me, Mikey sobbed and I held him close, feeling my own tears mingle with his. It just wasn't fair! I shifted slightly just as Leo stood and moved next to Mikey, wrapping his arm around my little brother then signalled for me and Raph to join as well. Soon we were all crying harder and I could barely see through the tears.

My dad had gone and left us as orphans – more so than we technically already were – but I recalled the words Splinter had told us a while ago, " _nothing can last forever, not even… family._ " At the time, I knew he was right. It had been stupid to hold onto some false ideal that we would live forever, but I had also wanted to believe it would never happen in such a violent manner.

But it had happened.

Now we had to bury our father.

 **Mikey P.O.V**

Donnie was the one who alerted me to what was happening. He shouted Leo's name after I heard a scream so of course I panicked and ran to see who had hurt my bro, but instead Leo was just standing there wide eyed and shaking. Looking up I saw what the problem was and it felt like ice had filled me up. I couldn't move.

It then comes back in flashes: Shredder's blades through Sensei, Sensei flying through the air, the sound as he hit the ground, the way we ran to his side… The look in Donnie's eye which said he couldn't do anything.

"Papa…" I remembered how those had been my first words and how dad had always recalled this with a look of pride in his eyes. My hand sought out his and I clutched it as if it were my own life which had just been extinguished. _Don't go… I love you dad…_ I couldn't think of anything but my father's face, his patience with me – more than I knew I deserved – and his way he would comfort me when my bros ignored me.

I think I was crying before he even hit the ground. My dad. Gone…

Life without sense was like, well, I don't even know. He'd always been there. He'd taken us in, he raised us, taught us, helped us when others wouldn't… I didn't want to let him go, so instead I kept holding his hand, hoping that it would move and he would tell me it would all be fine, that I was just having some crazy nightmare.

But he didn't.

Even my big bro Leo began to cry, and that's when I knew Splinter wouldn't come back.

I let go of the hand.

Leo knew everything, he was always right. Donnie was smart – like super smart – but if Leo told you something, you had to believe it – even if Donnie argued otherwise with facts and stuff. Somehow big brothers just know things us younger brothers don't.

Burying my face in my hands, I tried to erase the horrible pictures from my mind, but it seemed that they were there to stay. Then Donnie put a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see my bros picking dad up…

My throat felt like it was suddenly too thick and, trying not to cry even harder, I joined them, my hands meeting Raph's under Sensei's back.

I'd seen pictures of funeral processions, but had never been part of one, and honestly I can say it was the single most painful moment of my life. Dad couldn't die. He was invincible. Or at least I believed he was…

Somehow we managed to get into the Shellraiser without completely collapsing, but as soon as D put a sheet over Sensei, I couldn't stand it anymore and broke down. I hated being weak – my brothers always teased me about it – but now I couldn't care. I just wanted the night to be over and to be alone in an empty dream where I could escape the horror in front of me.

My thoughts were broken as Leo put an arm around me, and I put my head against his front and hugged him hard, holding onto the family I had left. Donnie and Raph joined us and I felt a slight sense of hope for us.

If we were able to stay like this, together and holding onto one another, maybe – just maybe, we would be alright…

 **There you are. Not my most emotional piece, but I hope it was alright!**

 **Leave your comments and suggestions. I'll be picking up my exam results in an hour, and if all's good then I will post a very small bonus oneshot later today!**

 **Fingers crossed...**

 **See ya all soon. :)**

 **LL99.**


	5. First Impressions (Short from S4 Ep16)

**What a treat for you guys! Two oneshots in a day! Results went great, so here is the promised bonus piece.**

 **This is set during the events of** ** _Broken Foot_** **and focuses upon the** ** _instant reactions of everyone to Leo wearing the foot clan look_** **.**

 **WARNING - Is short - VERY short, hence the reason I have never put it up before. I found it lying around so here you go:**

 **Leo P.O.V**

When Karai first told me I needed to leave my blue bandana at home and wear some clothing more suitable to a place by her side, my immediate reaction was a long hesitation. Master Splinter had bestowed my bandana upon me as a symbol of being part of the family and clan- taking it off for Karai's benefit seemed like betrayal. Even more than going behind Sensei's back…

 **Raph P.O.V**

No kidding, the first glimpse of Leo in black sent me reeling so badly that I genuinely wanted to kill him. How _dare_ he go against our family like that? We had fought the Foot and against the ideologies of their clan ever since I can remember, so seeing my own brother dressed as the enemy made my blood boil. I thought Leo understood the meaning of _honour_ , but the moment I saw him dressed liked the enemy I realised he couldn't have truly understood the term. At least, he couldn't have taken in what Sensei had meant by it if this was how he wanted to act...

 **Mikey P.O.V**

That moment I saw Leo in his Foot clan gear scared me. No joke. Leo's supposed to be _our_ leader, not a solider of the enemy! He's my oldest brother and the most Splinter-like out of us all, how could he be so stupid and join up with Karai? And after what happened to Donnie. I mean, the Leo I know would have cared about his family, not about playing vigilante with the Foot clan! That's something even Raph wouldn't be dumb enough to do…

 **Donnie P.O.V**

I was unconscious. I only saw him when I woke up later, and in all fairness I wasn't in the mood to think about it then. My head felt like it was splitting in two. By the time I was back to my senses he had changed back to his blue bandana and the only hint I had that something had been wrong was the evil glares from Raph, the sad ones from Mikey and the disappointed ones from Splinter. And the black bundle on the floor, so I guessed he was still in disgrace in the eyes of everybody else…

 **Splinter P.O.V**

Leonardo's decision to join my daughter in her painful quest for vengeance was and still is a disappointment on this family. He blatantly refused to listen to reason and chose to throw away his loyalty to his family. What pained me most was the dedication he showed to the Foot, joining them in missions and without consulting his brothers and myself. For his tomfoolery he shall have to face a serious consequence so that he shall not be tempted to tread so dangerously in the future…

 **Karai P.O.V**

Leo?

In black?

One word.

Hot.

 **There you are - when I said short, I did mean** **SHORT** **!**

 **The next chapter will be another request!**

 **Leave your thoughts.**

 **LL99.**


	6. Stressing out

animegamefanatic – aftermath of Worlds collide Raph talking to Casey and Slash about what happened to Mikey and etc. Or Mikey while he's asleep dreams of Splinter

 **Raph P.O.V**

Downing his third can of 'Wake Up' energy drink, Raph shook his head, attempting – an failing – to drown out the screams of his little brother being disintegrated which had not stopped ringing loudly in his head in a constant echo.

Yet sadly, the caffeine only increased the terrifying sounds…

Smashing the can into a flat circle, the red banded turtle pulled out his phone and checked for new messages – one from Casey saying he would be five minutes, and one from Slash telling he would be there soon.

But not soon enough.

Seeing Mona Lisa had been great, yet the joy from that had worn off the moment Newtraliser had sent that bolt of electricity at Mikey… And there was that thought again… He needed to focus on the positives… Mikey was alive. That was all that mattered. But before he could help it, the tears he had been holding back build up once again and Raph found he had to pinch his eyes to hold them back.

"You there, brother?" The gruff voice almost made Raph jump. He honestly hadn't expected his friend to be there that soon.

Hurriedly wiping his eyes, the red banded turtle stood and went over to his friend, but the look his former pet gave him meant he was clearly not hiding his emotions well.

"What happened, Raphael?" Slash's expression was clearly concerned. "What happened with the aliens?"

Despite not being with them for the main battle, the Mutanimals had been busy on the ground, holding back the wave of flying bugs in an attempt to protect all the humans they could. From the frantic texts that had passed between them during the day it sounded like they had managed quite well all things considered.

Raph realised Slash was waiting for an answer and coughed lightly in a ploy to clear the tension.

"Um… Yeah. All's good, Spike – sorry – Slash." Then he collapsed. Sinking to his knees, Raph choked back a sob and he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder. "Mikey nearly died. He got zapped and – and…" Raph put his head in his hands, "All I was thinking was: what the hell was the last thing I said to him? Heck!" Beyond the point of caring, the red banded turtle threw his hands in the air, tears escaping down his cheeks before he could be bothered to hide them. "I probably yelled at him for something stupid! What if he had been _killed_? After Splinter –" At this stage, Slash's grip tightened and he turned Raph suddenly, so the two turtles were face to face.

And then Casey had to clamber over the roof's edge.

There was a long pause when each of the trio swapped looks and tried to understand who was going to speak first. Eventually Casey spoke.

"So are you two like a thing or…"

If Raph wasn't in the process of having a complete meltdown, he would have had some resort ready or even a sarcastic comment, but at that moment in time, all he could do was look to the ground – his energy spent.

Casey must have been having a similar line of thought as Raph, for he looked to the smaller of the two turtles with a smirk, obviously expecting some kind of banter, yet as Raph failed to provide anything, Casey sobered up. It was Slash who spoke up first.

"You hear what happened?" The larger turtle asked the human as he knelt next to Raph. The teen shrugged.

"I was busy round my place taking out the aliens. No time for catching up, dude." Slash nodded and put a hand on Raph's shoulder.

"Shall I tell him for ya?" Raph closed his eyes and nodded slightly, his face clearly showing that he didn't want to talk much. "Michelangelo nearly got killed." Casey's eyes went wide with shock and understanding.

"Man…" He breathed. "Is he…"

"I'm guessing he's fine." Slash cocked his head, "Right Raphael? He's recovering now?"

Raph let out a shaky breath, and for a moment, his friends thought he was going to burst into tears, yet to their surprise, the red banded terrapin began to talk, his voice barely above a mutter.

"It wasn't like that… Not like he got hit and injured… He was… _Obliterated_ … Like when Donnie…" when it was clear Raph couldn't finish that sentence, Casey nodded in understanding, letting his friend know that they understood what he was trying to say. The memory of what April did to Donnie was still all too fresh in their minds. Raph shook his head to try and focus, "The Newtraliser had some electrical powers and he was shooting lightning out and… one bolt… hit Mikey…" Raph looked visibly shaken, so unlike his usual tough demeanour, "He screamed… And…" More tears escaped and the turtle covered his eyes, ashamed of how weak he was seeming, yet knowing that it was better to do this with his friends rather than have a complete breakdown in front of his brothers. "And he vanished… Like he had been disintegrated… We all thought… we thought we'd lost him…" Within a second, both Casey and Slash had put their hands upon Raph's shoulders, silently offering their support. Raph gave a small, yet sad smile. "But he's fine. I'm just being stupid…" His friends looked on confused, worried at the growing tension in Raph's voice. "Everyone's getting on with life, but I'm here, stressing out because I can't stop hearing his SCREAMS!" Raph shot up and turned, punching the wall behind him hard. A sharp crack followed, but Raph didn't even blink.

"Raphael!"

"Dude! Calm down!"

"How?" Raph rested his head on the wall next to his bleeding fist. His voice was small. "First Leo when that invasion happened, then Donnie getting blown apart, Splinter… You know. Now Mikey disintegrated…" He spun round, facing his friends, torment clear in his features, "one day one of us isn't gonna make it. What's gonna happen then? And the city will never know what we've done, and-"

He was cut off as Casey punched him – hard – in the jaw. Raph blinked, just as shocked as Slash.

"Get a grip of yourself, man!" Casey almost shouted. "You are –" He gestured in the air wildly as if words failed him. "You think you're the only one who's like that?" The teen began counting off on his fingers, "Leo was falling apart at the farmhouse, worried about you after the whole Creep incident, asking what the point of carrying on was; Donnie was super stressed about the whole retro mutagen thing – which – if I recall correctly, helped the entire city yet no one knows he did it; and Mikey – didn't that kid mention something about mutant wasps which nearly killed you guys and Splinter wasn't around to see how he saved you guys?"

Raph was struck down at his friend's words. Had his brothers really all felt the same?

"Ya know what, Casey's right, Raphael. You shouldn't be out here with us sulking, you should be home with your brothers. If you're like this – what the shell are the others like? What can we offer that they can't?"

Despite everything, Raph couldn't help but smile, this was the exact reason he had called his friends. If anyone could give him something to drown out Mikey's screams, it was these boneheads. He looked down at his bleeding fist and winced, the pain finally getting through to him.

"Thanks guys." He muttered, "I needed that."

"No problem, brother." Slash clapped him hard on the shell. "Now what was this about a new member for my team?" Raph had almost forgotten about that.

"Oh yeah, Mona Lisa's this Salimandrian warrior who's gonna be staying on Earth –"

"What?! You're girlfriend's gonna be staying?" Casey interrupted. Raph felt his cheeks heat a little, but he hoped no one noticed. The smirks he got revealed they had. He coughed.

"Yeah, she's staying. So is there a space for her?" Slash nodded.

"You say she can fight?"

"She's incredible!" Raph exclaimed before he could stop himself. _Smooth move genius_ , he cursed himself mentally, _way to act like an idiot in front of your mates_.

"Then she's in. We have spare rooms as well if she wants to stay over." Slash smiled. "Now get yourself back home, Raphael, I think we've done our part."

The red banded turtle smiled and with a nod, he jumped down from the roof and headed towards the nearest manhole cover. As the others watched him go, Casey muttered,

"Yo, Slash, you think he'll be alright?" The large turtle smiled.

"Yeah. He just needed to be reminded that he ain't alone. None of us are anymore…"

 ***BONUS***

By the time Raph got back to the sewers, everyone had turned in for the night, the day obviously leaving everyone in need of a good night's sleep. Before he followed suit, Raph headed to his brother's rooms to check how they were coping. First he stopped at Donnie's room, amazed to see the genius in his bed for once rather than slumped over his desk, although there was an open laptop next to him, suggesting he had tried to do some work before falling asleep. Raph saved his brother's work then shut the screen, moving it out of Donnie's way. He could carry on in the morning.

Next stop was Leo's room. Raph's elder brother was flat on his back on his bed, on top of the covers.

"Hey Raph." He muttered, not opening his eyes. "Glad you're safe."

"Go to bed, you idiot." Raph replied, hiding the secret feeling of relief that his brother had clearly waited up for him, to check he was alright. Leo always worried too much.

Leo sat up, his mask-less eyes meeting Raph's.

"He's sleeping. I keep checking on him, but he seems alright. You should go. It'll make you feel better. We'll speak in the morning." Without another word, Leo pulled the covers up and disappeared under them. Smiling at his brother's ability to know what he was thinking, Raph left to follow Leo's orders – to check Mikey for himself.

His little brother was snoring loudly, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He was alive. Raph put a hand on Mikey's and smiled. Casey was right, he couldn't forget about his brothers, if they were to get through this – they would do so together, as they always did.

Little did Raph know how right he really was.

…

…

…

 _Inside Mikey's head, the youngest was deep in a dream. He didn't know what he was doing or where he was, but he felt peaceful. Then he saw him. Splinter._

 _Mikey felt himself run towards his father, yet no matter how fast he ran, he could not get closer to his father. So he shouted._

 _"PAPA! WAIT FOR ME!" Despite the distance, Mikey could see his father smile._

 _"My son." His voice was like a wave of relief washing over him. Mikey fell to his knees, savouring the voice he thought he would never hear again, "I will always wait. But you almost reached me today. I wish you to be more careful."_

 _"I'm sorry papa." Mikey felt like he was crying, but he was happy._

 _"I will always be with you, my son. Your brothers as well. We are all here for you, never forget that. But you cannot be with me yet. It is not your time. One day we will meet, but until then, remember I love you all very much. Now go – go and live."_

 _"PAPA!" Mikey cried, but Splinter was gone again. He found himself in a golden field under a cherry blossom. He closed his eyes and he felt his father's presence, not right next to him, but close enough to be known. Mikey was happy. He wasn't alone…_

 **I am so sorry how long it has taken to update. I struggled with this one, not gonna lie! I need to work on my Slash and Casey writing! ;P Hope it was alright though.**

 **Leave your thoughts and let me know if you have new requests! I'll be happy to write them!**

 **LL99 Out!**


	7. READ: VERY IMPORTANT!

READ READ READ READ READ READ READ READ:

( **No spoilers here** )

Guys,

OUR SERIES IS ENDING NEXT WEEK!

The final episodes, _**Raph: Mutant Apocalypse is airing on Nicktoons in the USA around 8pm**_. It's an hour and a half and I am getting super excited.

It looks great, but if you're not on Tumblr like me - you may have missed this change in schedule, but it is official OUR AMAZING TMNT 2012 WILL BE AIRING THE FINAL EPISODE IN JUST UNDER A WEEK!

If you haven't heard about or seen the trailers, there are spoilers below if you want to know.

(Below = **Spoilers!** **You have been warned** )

The trailer has shown:

\- Older Raph - with beard (?!)

\- Donnie as a robot! (IDW reference!) With April's star on his plastron! You know, the one on her shorts (For you April X Donnie shippers)

\- Mikey as a skinny and frail looking thing dressed in a poncho.

\- Chompy as a bigger version of himself!

\- A skull with a bomb (?) in it with CASEY'S BANDANA AROUND THE HEAD AND MISSING TEETH!

\- It says there are NO HUMANS any more.

\- The world is run by mutants.

\- Raph is seen screaming "NOOOOOO!" Then the screen cuts to black... *gulps in fear*

\- It is based on Mad Max.

 _AND WORSE OF ALL IF YOU'RE A LEO FAN:_

\- There is NO sign of Leo in any of the three trailers! *Please let him be alive, let him be alive... Even if it's just so they can kill him off later!*

Oh and to make matter's worse, Brandon Auman - the head of TMNT - said this "Maybe Leo is dead... maybe he is not." Now that's just mean!

But yeah, here's a heads up if you've missed out on all this tension... *Resumes searching frantically for more clues.*

 **Don't worry, the next chapter will be a story! Let me know you're thoughts on this!**

A very stressed LL99, Out!


	8. I Promise (From Season 1 finale)

**I'm still recovering from watching the final episode so went back to season 1 for this oneshot! This is based on the aftermath of 'showdown' the season 1 finale to shell-ebrate (!) the 5th mutation day of this amazing show!**

 **Splinter P.O.V**

The safe return of my sons was something I could never stop fretting about. I was well aware of the danger I had willingly placed them, even more so after my unfortunate conflict with Miss O'Neil, however when my four sons entered our home with our young ally, I was overcome with relief. Since the realisation of Karai's true identity my heart felt strained as with a heavy burden, the evidence of which I did not realise was so clear upon my features until April and Leonardo spoke to me in the dojo later that evening. Admittedly I was a little sharp with them, but thankfully their young hearts did not appear to take offense, however it was not until early the next morning, when Kirby and April had returned to their own homes, that I was able to discuss with my sons what they undertook in their mission to save the city.

Once we had all settled down in the dojo, the most temperamental of my sons was unsurprisingly the first to let his feelings about their previous experience known.

"Sensei, did you really tell Mr let-me-sacrifice-myself-for-you-and-the-mission here" he violently jabbed a finger at his directly elder brother, "to complete the mission at the cost of _anything_?" I heard the anguish in my son's voice and saw his anger. I looked at the others and noticed a similar level of pain within the gazes of my youngest two sons, but what truly broke my heart was the lack of emotion upon Leonardo's features. I bowed my head.

"My sons, I wish I could tell you that I would never order your mission to be a higher priority than the lives of others, however you have proven you deserve more respect than a simple lie." I raised my head again, knowing how hard it would be to make them understand my reasons. I now understood what my own father went through when he told me and Saki the same thing as children. "My job as your Sensei is to ensure you do what must be done. The mission is your priority, the sacrifices to complete this are almost irrelevant." The looks of disbelief was one of the most painful thing I have endured in my hard existence upon this world. "However," I continued, "as your _father_ I would never wish for such an outcome. Your lives are more important to me than the world, but due to our sense of honour, it is our duty to protect the innocent from evil."

My youngest tentatively raised an arm. I nodded, knowing what was coming.

"So if we…" He clearly struggled to finish the thought. I interrupted before he could force the painful word out.

"I would never forgive myself if any of you died." I assured him, meeting each of my son's eyes, "I asked my own father the same question when he told me and Saki back in Japan. But please, before I continue, may I understand what transpired tonight for you to ask such a question Raphael?"

My son glared at Leonardo, then the others and then back to myself. I waited patiently, understanding the inner turmoil to question his brother and leader in front of me.

"We were in the technodrome and Kraang Prime was chasing us. Mikey fell down a crevice and there was only one pod." He then went into depth about how Leonardo used Michelangelo's chains to hold back the alien and ordered his brothers to escape as the technodrome was going down. I listened, attempting not to show my horror at how willingly my son had laid down his life for his brothers and the city, and once Raphael had finished, I could see the tears in Michelangelo's eyes, the confusion and pain in Donatello's and the guilt in Leonardo's. Even though what he had done was his own decision, Leonardo was clearly upset at the pain he had caused his brothers.

After a long silence, I finally found the courage to spoke.

"Leonardo. Explain."

My eldest stood and began to speak without pause or any sense of regret.

"I had to stop to save my brother, but in doing so the enemy was almost upon us. Therefore the only way to ensure the majority of us escaped was to hold Kraang back while the escape pod left. Once they were clear the technodrome hit the water which short circuited Kraang's systems allowing me to escape. I used the ventilation systems to find an exit then met up with my brothers in the escape pod."

I nodded and he sat down.

"I am impressed with you all." Whatever my sons were expecting, it was not that. "You all showed courage in the face of impossible odds and even when your brother ordered you to follow something which sounded impossible, you ensured your ally was safe, completing the mission." I turned to my eldest son and felt my heart swell with pride, yet I ensured my tone remained calm so not to reveal my true feelings, "Leonardo, you showed unimaginable courage. I regret giving you such instructions and as your father I am deeply sorry that you had to prepare yourself for such a sacrifice." Leonardo's head bowed slightly, and for once I could see a slight trace of the fear he must have experienced "However, as your Sensei, I am proud of how you led your brothers and ensured no one was left behind, fulfilling your role as a leader, and a brother." I turned my attention to all of my sons again. "I understand if you cannot forgive me for what I have put you through, and if any one of you does not wish to continue the ninja's path, I will not blame you. It is unfair to ask any more of you than I already have."

Standing, I turned my back to them, not wishing for my sons to see my disappointment, but also my shame in not being by their side when they faced such horrendous odds. I was about to make a path towards my own room when I heard my sons stand and one by one move towards me. I looked over my shoulder, just as the youngest of my sons threw himself around my waist, burying his head in my kimono.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." He began to shake softly as the tears started. I prepared to acknowledge that the ninja's path may not be for him when Michelangelo surprised me by continuing, "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I still wanna be a proper ninja!" I placed a hand upon his head and smiled softly. Suddenly Donatello joined us and spoke before I could get any words out myself.

"We didn't mean to offend you, father." He held me almost as tight as Michelangelo, "We were just worried."

"And scared." Muttered Michelangelo, and I wrapped my arms around my two youngest sons. I felt them weaken slightly so I lowered myself to the floor, allowing them to maintain their hold, knowing that even at their age, such a simple thing as a hug could work miracles.

Then the surprises kept coming. Leonardo and even Raphael joined us, until my family was circled around, all softly crying, some more reluctantly than others, I felt myself smile as I saw Raphael battle with himself and his ego to stop the tears, yet as I laid a hand upon his cheek, he permitted himself to show his emotions.

"This is our life, Sensei," Leonardo had a few tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, "even though we have to go through hard times, we're a family, we look out for each other. I can't let them die." The last words were barely audible, and I understood they were for me alone – his brothers too busy crying to hear. I placed a hand on his head and gave him a small, yet admittedly sad, smile, telling his that I understood and that I was not disappointed. In fact, in that moment I could not have been happier of what my family had achieved.

"Come, my sons." I whispered, once the tears had begun to fade, "Allow us to sleep in the pit till morning. I feel that to part would only encourage your hearts to seek out one another." This brought some noises of excitement and in a moment the three youngest had rushed off to gather pillows and blankets to for a sort of 'nest' as I called it when they were only babies. However Leonardo still knelt beside me. "My son?" I asked him, placing a hand upon his shoulder, "What is it that troubles your spirit?"

Leonardo wiped his eyes and his gaze grew serious.

"I know how much I hurt my brothers last night, Sensei, but I will not stop. If their lives are in danger I will have to put my own on the line if that is the only way to save them. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they died and I could have done something to prevent it."

Slightly taken aback by the passion in his voice, I could only stare at my brave son. I understood – even when he was but a small boy – how deeply he cared and wanted to protect his brothers, but the extent to which he would go for them was overwhelming. I knew he would lead them all towards greatness one day. In that single moment I realised this, and I gathered him in my arms.

"I know, my son. I understand. You will always have my blessing, even if you must break my heart or do something unthinkable, I will support your decisions for I know you will not rest until your family is safe." I felt Leonardo tremble in my arms and I rubbed soothing circles in the middle of his shell. Soon he had calmed himself down enough to let go. I released him and stood, holding out my hand to help him up. "Now come," I smiled at my son, "allow us to find some space before your brothers steal all the best cushions we possess."

I received a smile in return and without another word, my young leader dashed out to his brothers where the pleasing sound of chaos and laughter was coming. I stole a glance towards my picture of my beloved Tang Shen and little Miwa and bowed towards them.

I shall save you soon, my daughter. However, tonight I shall save my sons' spirits. Their happiness and wellbeing is my current mission – that is something you must understand.

Without a second glance, I moved out of the dojo to find a large pile of blankets and pillows tossed in the pit, my sons already nestled down together. Michelangelo and Donatello were curled up side by side, both barely visible beneath the blankets and pillows surrounding them, while Leonardo had taken his usual position near their heads, his hands resting on top of his younger brothers' heads while his eyes still open, watching his brothers before he allowed himself to sleep. Raphael was curled next to Leonardo, the usual angry expression now passive and almost peaceful. One arm was draped around his elder brother while the other was hung over the shells of the two youngest.

Every single face seemed content.

I moved over and sat opposite the pile, smiling at Leonardo. "I will keep watch, my son." I whispered, "Sleep now. Your brothers are safe." He nodded and within minutes, he too was sleeping. I watched their faces then stood, and began to tuck them all in.

"Goodnight my brave children." I whispered, "There are no more tears and no more troubles. You are home and we are together. I am here." I smiled and sat back down. Tomorrow would bring a new challenge, but for now, they were happy, and that was all I could ask for.

 **Not a request, I know, but I just found this on my memory stick so decided to put it up! Based off the season 1 finale in order to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of TMNT 2012 which was yesterday!**

 **Boyakasha my friends, I shall post a new chapter soon as possible! :D**

 **LL99 OUT!**


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